TH F F \LL OF N E WBERX. early stage Col. Vance was surrounded by tli
encmv At this juniture, we are told, his voice
from the ralkigii standard. ^asheard above the roar, “Stand firm, my men-I
After the most careful effort to obtain particii- jgath.” Col. Avery
lars which can be relied on, we find that much | jjg^^jygring his position, it i^ said, gallantly and
yet remains unknown. What we state as true, i rushed to his a.«;sit:tance, whon both rc-
comes from undoubted sources; rumors cannot be became fiercely engaged with the enemy,
relied on. n*i • f i The strugtjle must have been u severe one, but we
As early as Tuesday afternoon, the lltfi ins | .jvi.^rtd that both of those regiments and Col.
it is said ten or twelve vessels ot the enemy were | tliruu-^h the surroundini; hosts.
reported in the river fifteen mile.s below >ewbern. I j to Kinston.
On Wednesday the number was inereaseu to tiUy, , ^ regiments we fear is severe,
some say seventy-five 5^'' i yet the statenieiits are so eoiitnulietory, we are
or Thur.sday morning it is reported that the \ an- sati.stactory aeouiinr. We are
kees a.seended Slocumb s ( reek, burnt to vcoovd the reported death of Colonel
ter’s fine nlill, and destroyed the railroad at C nu- Hoke and Carmichael,
tan and the military preparations which had been : • * j' i ' Itaml's company
effected a landing on Wednesday evening and : .j,^ and eoun-
Thursday morning of some lo or L’O.OOU troops. ^y^,re brave spirits
either on Slocumb’s or ( Uter creek, but we are in- j valuable otficeis.
clined to think it was on the tormer. I’revious , Sloan's. Col.
to landing, the whole region was thorouirhly shell- > roi:in.eiits and tiie militia made good
ed below our batteries, forcing Co!. Sinelair with retreat from the field, across thd Kailroad
his regiment, sent to prevent a landing, to retire | Newbern. The hour of C.en. Uraneh’s
to the entienchmeuts within four or five mile.-ol X^.whern we have not
Newbern. The shelling was ke^ up all d:u | |,„( understand he ordered the burn-
Thursday below the batteries. We have of the turpentine, eotton. the gunboats build-
formation that any ot the batteries except l ort
Thompson fired a ahot, as no vessel came in range
until Friday, when all of them below Fort Thomp
son had been out-tianked and rendeied powerless
by the enemy in the rear. Thus showing the
miserable and ruinous engineering as well as bad
generalship, with which Kastern North Carolina
has been literally crushed.
The breastworks, where it was intended to give
the enemy battle, extended Ironi Fort Thoinj'>n
westward some twt> or three miles aero>-^ the rail-
i*oad. to an impassable swamp. Fort Thompson
had several heavy guns covering its rear and eom-
mandiuc the entrenchments on the side the enemy
was to approach—the tort and entrenchments be-
inir tour or five miles below Newbern. To detend
the entrenehments Cen. Branch had t'oi>. Sloan
Lee's. Campbell's. Sinclair's and the Craven i niili-
tia) regiment', besides other." t'roui Wayne. Le
noir and John>ton. east ot the railroad, and Cols.
Vance’S and Avery's on the Ave>t, Col. Avery be
ing in the rear ot Col. \ ance; though one aceount
is that Col. Aveiv had been a.'siL'ned the po.'ition , ,, ,. , ,
at the railroad, tliat beiut; reallv the post of honor 1 ‘
, . “i ■ ■ 1 ,1 i thev came up without hiiuir
and ot most imminent danger, bt>lue^ these.
Col. Spruill's cavalry were stationed in the rear,
except that the companies of Capts. llayes and
Cole, we learn, had been disiuouuted and placed
in the trenches to aid the infantry. The artillery
companies of Capts Brem and Latham were ;is-
signed positions at some points un the line, ot
which we are nor advised. ]>ut strange to say.
the break in the line oi entrenchments at the rail
road was entirely unprotected either by artillery
or infantry. We learn that Col. Thompson, the
engineer, commenced on Thursday m>'rniui: to
place cannon at that point, but did nut succeed in
iniT. the Kailroad bri.ige and a portion oi the
town. Campbell's. \ anee’s. ami Avery s regi
ments. we Uarn. were eut otl trom Newbern by
the burnuiiT ».'t the briilge, aiul they were C(>m-
p-'lled to retreat up the soutli >ide ot I rent. N\ e
state the.'e things as we lii've heard tliem.
C)ne of the mo.^t unaec«>untable thing' in the
whole matter, is the failure on the part of tlu'
i.'ommandiiiir Ceneral to I'.otify the deten«eless
inhabitant'^ ot Newbern ti> leave on 1 iiciiday oven-
iiiiT when the \ aiikee vc'sel> fir>t aj'peared. But
lulled to rest as many ot tluMii were, no warning
was uiven until Friday morning when the retreat-
in>r troojis rushed through the town without st^p-
p;nt£ to ’.varn tlieni of appr‘aehing danirer. Hun
dreds of defenceless, re.'pectablo females w\‘re leit
there, wiiile others tviO tearl'ul of the consequence."
i>f remainin:^. "tarfeil on lo^'t or by any means
they could iret utl. carrying their helpless children
aloni: with them.
The Vankee> di.l not attempt to pass a fort
until thev found our forces had been routed.
late iiiie o cluck,
up Wittiout nindranee. Alter all the
talk an.l 'jrauimon about suw_\ers and ob^truetions
in the rivor b-low NewliL-rn. and of forts, and
torpedois. ic.. that would blow the \ankues up.
after the rout of our little army tiiey came right
aloiiir. just r* /'/• tra. L- u-hirh-fmd f'ruixjf lj/ L'fti
l> r( ,,j,i u r',,r ■, '• '■ '■/( . -Ac. without encountering
a sinirlc .il''truetinri. At ^'iice they commenced
'h-dlinj the town. What damage was d'Xic by
that we have U"t harned. It is al.'O charged that
thev helled the car> with women and children
in them. We under'tand the sijuare on which
'teal the :‘ld Washington Hotel, near the t’ourt
iio’.i'e. was all coM'Umed. exeept the maii'ion ot
iretting them in position; hence, at the railroad ^ i ■ i i m u
rK„_, 1 ; S. ^ the late J.'hn ."tanlv. th.-n ..ceupied by .Mr. liar-
there was no impediment whatever to the enemy , . ,,,, . , , , • ■ i
, 1 „ 1 ► .1 *■ ') ri.'On. 1 Ills we learn was done by citizens or the
One ot our informants was ordered to the tieai i ... , , , ,, ,,,,
1 .. I I ♦ i'- - Uiihtarv bv "rder ol Lien, lirancli. 1 lie enemy,
on iDursdav. oeinir a member of theLra\en rej:i- . , , '
r .-.4' ii;- •. ► » ; u i" said, alter takini: ] ..>>,-S'ltin, arrested ttie pro-
meiit ot the militia. liis rck;iment, siraiikje to ! . , • ■ ; i i i
of the tire in the town, and al>o prevented
the entire destruction ot the Kailrnad brid/e.
regiment, strange to
say, the militia, was placed nearest tiie railroad. |
being however, no nearer than two or three hun- i . , , . ,
dred yards. This was reallv the most exposed I ^ •'n.clair, it is -aid. determine i to nmh:e a
and dangerous part of the L^round. Col. \ anee ■ -^t'wbern. but the general eur-
occupied a position we.^t of ihe railroad near the ■ V‘"'Vout ot harm
swamp, but too far from the railroad to atlord it
any protection, or to watch the advance of the
enemy through the break. The gentleman above
alluded to states, that during the day on Thurs
day he heard that some ten of our pickets below
had been driven in or taken. NVhat arran^;e
way at. l did not stofi until they reached Kinstoti.
miie" above Newbern. on the river. There, it is
said, (.ien. Branoh has determined to make a stand,
but it is hoped a superior military eye will be
place I there, to i-onvince him of tlie utterly I to-
pian character ot sueh a sehenie, unless the river
ments were made for scouts or picket duty in the 1 !' blockaded below and the luiiroad
neirhborhood of the enemy ou Thursday ni::ht. j bridges ilcstrojcd. ni that case the enemy can
he did not know or hear. The troop", however
went to sleep that night not sufip.jsmg that the
enemy was or would be before next day within G
milea ot them. Next morning he arose earlv. and
with a friend, a Colonel ot one of our reiriiut nts,
went to a spring to wash. While woshmi: they
heard the discharge of musketry—tliey immedi
ately ran to their positions, the Colonel to his
command, and our triend to his position on the
right of the militia regiment, beini: one of the
nearest to the railroad. They ascertained that in
their absence the line had been formed and the
order was given lt*r the men to discharge their
pieces and load. Whether any one, ofiii-er oi jpri
vate, knew that the enemy wa.s at that very time
within 5UU yeards of our entrenchments, is not
known. Another account is, that at 7 o'clock,
three ot the enemy s officer." rode up within or
•iUU yards ot our lines, and calmly surve}ed our
»«Jtrenehmeiit.", and immediately disappeared. In
a tew moments after their disappearanee, and the
discharge of our mu'«;etry, the en.-my's artillery
opened upon our lines, and at onee the eni:a-J-
ment began ou both sided along the line.
Our iuformant says that soon after taking his po
sition, castiuL' his eye over his right shoulder, he
saw a large number ot armed men creejiin:/ in
quick time by the railroad into our treriehes. He
directed the attention of his commander to it, w'nu
remarked that he thought it must be Col. Avery's
men, who had been assigned that position. But
almost immediately the bullets came whistling
o\ er their heads, and he discovered the “stars
and stripes” rolled 'ip, when the militia was or
dered to tire. They continued to h.ad and lire,
and in a short time he discovered the militia fall
ing back. Whether they were ordered to do so
or not, he does not know, a.s he heard no order of
any kind trom an officer—no one to rally or en
courage the men. The Athens (iuards. of which
he wjs a member, seemed disi.osed to stand firm-
iy, and he thinks if the men could have hear.l
a rallying cry from ^riy (juarter they would
have stood. His cjmpany with a lew others
were tiie last of the militia to fall back from the
entrenchments, and soon he heard the voice of
Cul. Sinclair ordering his men to follow him. lie
called to the Colonel, asking what was then to be
doni .' I he Colonel replied that the enemy had
out-flanked us, anti he had been ordered to ri*-
treat. It was about lU o’clock, when our iniorm-
ant with others of lii.s company arrived at the
railroad cars, which seemed to have been kept
there to convey the wounded or the retreating to
Newbern. Most of the militia were there, and
Col. Sinclair’s regiment, and ilen. Branch and
his start, lie heard something said aboQt mak
ing a stand at the Cross Koads, but the excite
ment becoming more and mor« intense, the cars
started taking all who could crowd on, and push
ed lor Newbern. The fight wi*s at that time go
ing on fiercely between Col. Campbell’ii, Col.
Vance’s, Col. Avery’s and Col. Lee’s regiments,
and the enemy. Jt is said that Col. Campbell or
dered a charge which was handsomely executed,
by which he drove the enemy before him like
sheep. The rear guns of Fort Thompson were
used upon the enemy. Capts. Brern's and l^a-
tham s companies it is said tbugiit well, many of
their horses being killed and several ot their men
being killed and wounded. Ool. Sloan we be
lieve was absent trom his regiment, and being in
t e re^r ot the entrenchments, is not supposed to
have been in the hottest ot the fight, though we
tiave heard allusions made to the gallantry ol his
men, and of some of the officers.
Cols. CampbeH’s, Vance’s, and Avery’s regi-
exkibiteU jjreat gallantry and oourag«,
not harm him. ur he the enemy.except at lomr taw
1 he disaster is a mo"t sad one. \V e have look
ed tor it. with the certainty of an already demon-
stratL-d truth, and "hali always expect such re
sults just "O lonir a" the government places th.
detence of this State in the haU'ls ot political
jamesters or military superannuates or nincom
poops, wh i cannot ^r will iMt do their duty. '1 hat
tine ^ild t"wn Ncwliein, oni'c the pride of the
state, is _-..me! i ort Maeoii, Heaulurt, Morehcad
and (. arolina Cities are pertei’tly at the command
Ilf tiie i iiemy, while the W iimin^^toii and Weldon
lioad is within his irra^p and the way to flaleigh
'.pen t'l hiui. ( >ur losse" or that of the enemy
are not known. It is believed that we have not
lo.'t more than men in killed, wounded and
miS'in_'. ( >ur tents, artillery, eijuijiaire, many of
our cavalry hur.ie.", and coninus'ary stores, we
euppn,"e Were desert-.-d. and arc now in possession
■>t the ciieiny. \\ e learn that portions of all
the re:_iments hail reported at iviiieton. The
government was sending.'reinfbrcement^ rapidly to
7en. liraneh, suppositiL' that he could at least hold
out a day or two; but the job was over in two
hours, so far as the defence was concerned, and
the Commanding (ieiieral and staff were looking
for "aler (|Uartcrs. How much damage we have
done the enemy, we havo had no means ot know
ing. The belief is, that a number were killed
and wounded, and one prisoner taken who claims
to be an officer.
1’. S. We learn that Col. \'ance, with about
five hundred of his men, is at Kinston. Capt.
Usear liand, of this county, it is said, was killed
while ti.^htini: nobly at the head of his company.
He killed two ot the enemy alter he had been
shot down. Some thirty or forty of his men are
mi:-isinir—among them I'abius and Hamilton
Whitaker, and Sil;u liolleinai;; but as tiie men
are still coming in, we liope they arc alive.
We liave iieard nothing as to the other com
panies of tiiis rejiinient, and notliing a«i to (.’amp-
Oell's and .\ver) s regiments, except tliat t’ol.
Haywood and l-ieut Haywood arc saidtu be sat'e,
and that Col. .Vvery is missing and thought to
be kill(!d. it ma^ l>e, li()wever, tliat lie is wound-
e«i and a prisoner, but one report i.s that he had
died of las wounds. We are glad to learn that
lit. Col. Hoke is not annmg the killed.
Our loss in killed, wouniled and prisoners is
said to be three or four hundred.
From tilt Norfolk Day l>ook.
Col. W. F. Martin who reached this city yes
terday aiternoon, reports having had a conversa
tion with Hon. 31r. Hortch, in iJoldsboro’yester
day, in which th« following account was given:
The enemy landed about 2l',UU0 men below
Newbern, and by this means cut ofi the lower bat
tery trom communication with the entrenchments
and making the abandonment of this battery a
military necessity. They shortly after began
their attack upon the second battery, which was
also abandoned, and then advanced upon the shore
battery, which was situated at the head of the en
trenchment. Here our forces made a stand and
the figlit began. '1 his battery was arranged so as
to fire both upon the land and river, and contain
ed two pounders. These, together with the
ligiit artillery, did good service.
Jiy some means—that of treachery beyond
doubt the enemy were informed of the exact
locality occupied by our militia—about seven hun
dred in number and upon this point they-made
their fiercest attack. Tl»e militia stood their
ground pretty well for awhile—indeed as well as
could be expected of militia—but finally gave way,
which had ita eli'ect upon the volunteers. The
latter, howtver, finally rallied again.
The enemy did not use their gunboats at all
against the batteries for some reason, but simply
followed up as they were silenced. Obstructions
had been placed in the river to prevent their pro
gress-leaving only a very narrow channel for
our own vesii^els to pass and it w*as th^*ught that
they would come in contact with them; but to the
surprise of all they avoided them and came di
rectly up in the channel which had been left open
—thus giving the amplest evidence that tliey
liad been informed of what had been done by us.
It is supposed that tliey obtained this information
from a couple ot negroes who escaped to them the
day before the-fight.
Our men having rallied, were doing terrible
execution with the two o'J-pounders, \yhile (^ol.
Campbell’s 7th North t^irolina regiment made a
brilliant charge. The enemy could not stand the
chartie, luit broke and fell back, but afterwards
rallied and were reinforced by numbers greatly
superior to our own. and Col. Campbell was driv
en l>ack into tli*i entrenchments.
The fight continued for some time. Finally
the Federals possessed theinselves of the point
occupied bv our militia, and then the order was
'jiven for our men to retreat, and tlie cavalry de
tailed to cover tlu* retreat At first the retreat
was made in gooil order, but a panic i>ccurring
among the cavalry, the reginu nts beeamc some
what disoriranized. The cavalry having passed
over the bridge, burned it. and thus cut off the
retreat of two regiments and fi>rced them to re
treat into dones county. This, we presume,gave
rise to the statement that they had been captu;ed
by the enemy.
After the gunboats had passed the batteries
and the obstruction in the river, they lay along
side the wharves and threw shell into the town.
These ."bells were directed at the ears filled with
non-combatants—women and children—not a sol
dier among them, and this fact, it is stated by
tliose who ouLrht ti) know, the Federals were not
ignorant ot.
Our tbrci's numbered about including the
uiilitia, and were commanded by (len. Hraneh.
Ot this number some eighty were killed and one
or two hundred wounded. The number of pri-
ioner taken is not known as yet, but is certainly
n >t very large. All the horses were killed at
two batteries of light artillery, and all the gun
ners. 'i'he wounited wore all recovered, and have
been removetl to (loldsboro . where they are rep
resented as beiniT well cared lor.
(,)ur inf'ormant assures us that all the cotton,
naval stores and provisions at Newbern were tired
before the place was evacuated, and their entire
destruction is .ilmost known with certainty.
Mr. Hortch conversed with a couple of citiisens
■jf Newbern who left there after Burnside had
taken ju»sscssi. n, w ho stated that the ^ ankees
represent tl eir loss as exceedingly great—one
ot them estimating it at over six tliousand. A
Federal officer who was captured by ('ol. ('amp-
bell's rcLrinient corroborates the statement of heavy
los" on theii side, and that our battery did terrible
havoc, and that up to the time ot the retreat ot
the militia they were whipped.
Mr (’harlcs White, who says he command
ed a liattery witliin a mile of Newitern. has arrived
in I’etersburL' and informs the Kxpre."S that his
battery fired but twice, the enemy being then out
of range. He also "aV",—
Col B \ aiu’c s and Col Avery's reiriments
are aid to have foiiu'ht with great bravery, taking
a battery "f six pieces at the point of the bayonet,
but it was afterwarils regained by the Yankees,
who had been mueh strengthened by lieavy rein-
tdrcements.
('aj't. Latham's battery of six guns was lost,
and nearly all his men killed by the enemy's
sharp-shooters. Capt L. escaped.
Capt. Brenis's battery ot six guns was also
lost, and about t.l" horses.
fjnr'Uions'‘J th> Liu my. — We learn that iu
Jefiersou county the enemy are ruling with an
iron rod. It is stated that a tcw davs alter they
i;ot possession ot the county, tliey called upon
Joseph Crane, Fsi|., the Sherifl, and demanded
"t him the county s quota of revenue tor the des
picable I’ierpont iovernmeUt. The Sheriff in-
lormed them that he had paid in the revenue ol
the county to the State of Virginia, at Kichmoiid,
when lie was told tliat hia own and the property
ot his securitiup should be sold to raise the amount.
In Charlestown, tiiey had destroyed the print
ing material in the offices of tiie \ irgi.:ia I ree
Prcss and Independent Democrat, and are Using
the material ot the Spirit of Jefferson in publish-
inir a paper. They have arrestud a number of
the citizens of the county, and have sent some of
them to Fort Warren.—/i.
I’rom Loudoun county we learn that the cneii-
my have arrested a considerable number of our
citizens in that quaiter. .Vmongthcm was John
Janney, Fsij., the I’resident ot the \ irginia Con
vention. 3ir. Janney's health is very delicate,
and he was also confined to his home by the ill-
nes,s of his wife. We are informed that he was
visited by some officers of the detested crew who
have invaded our Stale, and reijucsted to provide
food and other accommodations tor them. They
told him that they called on him with the greater
pleasure because they knew him by fame as a
good I iiioh man. *'lr. Janney replied that he
had no lot or part in (/ifir I nion; that he with
his State belonged to another; that he had noth
ing for them; no aid or comt’ort in any way; that
ho knew he was in their power, and that they
could exercise their pleasure upon liiiii. Tlic
scoundrels carried otl the venerable and distiu-
guislied man as a prisoner.
One account says that after confining him for
a while in the Leesburg jail, they discharged him.
How long will the vengeance of Heaven still
slumber'.'—Jiiili'ii K.mtmuer, \'6tk.
J-idi /•»/ v.s.N/*■ i/i Jlainjjton Jujik/s.—NuKFOLK,
March 17.—Seven Federal sailing ships and lour
steamers are in the iloads below I'ortress Monroe.
They do m^t venture to njiproach Newport News.
A French war steamer is above Fortress Monroe.
Aiixiuux to —A recent number of
the Augusta Field and Fireside has the followin'^
amusing paragraph:
-Vbout 5UU prisoners left New Orleans last
week, on their way to Fortress Monroe to be ex
changed. Tiiey passed tlirough Augusta on
1 hursday morning, creating consiilerable excite
ment. V\ e heard several incidents which trans
pired, in their free intercourse with visiters at
tlie depot, some of which were highly illustra
tive of the characteristics of the northern and
southern people. They had tooth-picks, bone
rings, and various little nick-nacks, which they
had “contrived ’ during their confinement, and
which they offered tor sale. One gentleman—to
whom a sleek Puritan was recommending his
wares “merely aa a means of getting a little pock
et change”—handed the follow live dollars and
said: “Take that, and buy what you want; but
don’t be insulting people 'by offenng your Yan
kee wares in this country. We have emit that
sort of trade.”
A young xMississippian, who was taken prisoner
at Fort i>ouelsou, has arrived in Memphis. It
aypeara that after the surrender, he, with other
prisoners, wae detailed to chop wood for the camp,
uach chopper being guarded by an armed Hessian-
but happening to think of his old father and mo
ther at home, Mississippi put his axe into the
Hessian’s head instead ot into a log, and travel-
iio go^ inw the seryiot again.
OUR LATE NAVAL VICTORY.
It ia seldom that we have a fuller and more in
telligent account of any engagement of arms from
an eye-witness than we have obtained from Mr.
George Wright, the chief pilot of the Virginia
or IMorrimac, who, throughout the late naval bat
tle, was at a post not only of imminent daiiirer,
but of the most convenient observatiim of all tlie
movsmcnts of the enemy.
When tioing into action anl passing Sewell s
I’oint (’aptain liuchanan made a speeeh to tlie
men. It was laconic. He 'aid: “.My m('n you
are now about to faci^ the enemy. \ ou shall have
ni) reas(n to comjilain of rot fighting at elos«M|uar-
ters. Bomomber you fight for your homes a:id
vour country. \ ou see thi>se shijps—y)U must
sink them. I need not :isk you to do it. 1 know
you will do it.”
At this time the t\-»ngress was lying clo-^e to
the batteries at Newport News, a little below’ theiu
'I'he Cumberland was lying immediately opposite
tlie batteries, 'fhe Virginia })assed the Congress,
giviti!^ her a britadside, which was returned with
very little eflect, ami made straight tor the (_ um-
berland. On getting within some twenty-five or
thirty yards of the Yankee frigate, the \ irgiiiin
dischari:ed her rifled bow gun. throwiiiL' a shot
of one hundretl anil sixty pounds into her, just
above her water line, (’ontiiiuing her spt'cd she
ran into the ('uniberlaiid, striking her a little
fiirward of her foremast; backed out and in filtci.ii
minutes tlu'reafter this \ ankee vessel, against
whom an idd grudge had_ long existed tor Iiei’
jiarticipation in the burnini: ot the Navy-Yard.
Slink beneath the water, her guns bein>^ fought
to the last, and her flair flying at her jicak
11 aving dispatched the (_’unil>erl:ind. the \ ir-
irinia turneil and made tor the Congress, whieh
had rot ;i!j:round. Ilunning within fifty yards ot
her, the Viririnia discharged h r rified bow gun
at her. and turning: again brought her starboard
broadside to liear u{)on the doomed vessel. .\t
this moment the (’ongress struck her Hag ai*d
hoisted a flatr ot truce. 'I he steamer lieaufort was
ordered aloiiLTside tlie ves.sel tt> take charge ot tlu;
prisoners and to set her afire; and while the flair
ol truce was fiyin-: the party were perfidiously
fireil upon from the batteries c»n bhore and Minie
rifles in the hands ot the \ ankees on tlu“ bi-aid),
with the disastrous results whieh have already
been stated. The Con^'rt-ss was set afire by throw-
in!/ two or three red hot shot into her. 1 he illu-
min:ition of the scone was splendid; the explosion
of her ma'.razine. a little past midnight, aroused
persons asleep in Norfolk; and our men. who h:i.i
kt‘].t eo(d and coUected duritiir tlie entire ti-ht,
jiave vent to hearty cheers
On the next day i Sunday ) the contest iireurred
between the .^lonitor the Kries,son battery i and
the \"irLrinia. 1 he \ ankee frigates, the Koa'ioke
and St. Lawri'iiee. had retreated to Old Point—
••the apothecary shop." as it was lacetiouly styled
by our men—and the Monitor had iroiie up on
Saturday niL'ht to «"ist the .'^1 innesota. which was
"til! airround The enixagement betwi-en the Moni
tor and \ irtrinia cuitinued tor tlie .-^paee ot twu
hours, thi' distanei’ between the two vessels vary-
irii: from half a mile ti> "// .'/-A. In about
an hour :ifter the ei>mnieneement id' the eiiirage-
ment. we sih-need Iier battery tor the sjiaee of
thirty-five minute", after w hieh "he fired fw.« :^uii'.
and made for t >id Point.
The \ ir^'inia i" in the dry dock for rej^aivs
Her iron plates are -aid to have withstood, with
the nii>"t eomjilete success, the efleets ot the ter
rific caiinonadiiii.’ id' the enemy, some of the sec-
ti 'Ti" only beiiiL’’ riven. Her smoke stack and
▼entilators were riddled by the enemy s balls, su
as to trive them the apjiearaiiee. as our informant
describes them, of hu>:e nutmeir graters.
R ih luifud A'.i t mi n> r, 17 f/:.
Si fit' iti u " fitrui'iii or (imnhliu'j I\t(-
,ue.— ' * ’ 1*0 you know what is the
meaniiii: of a ••picker up ot strag^;ler.s,” in iram-
blers' slanu''' I shall tell you. 'I'he “picker uj.
of "trairt-'lers" examino attentively all pla>ers.
When a u^old coin is forgotten by a gambler, and
doubled "cveral times by the bank, the “picker
up of'stra*:^lers " »iiriis fh> ni'ias and takes it
••,'‘trair:_'lcrs'’ ;ire U"Ually formed after a n r^hnt
'■r'(r>ut >t lilt whieli imprisons the /nit>»s. The
inexperit'wced player, seeintr the croujiier’s rake
chaii:_'e the p>"ition of the coin.*, thinks he h.is
lost, and he leaves the table. “Stragglers" are
found too. where those who play upon several
chances inadvertently forget one side. You
know now what ••picker up of "traLT:.rIers" means,
and 1 can tell you my story: a Bu>sian, who was
playing large suni". held in his hand several bank
notes for a th>U"and francs each, folded tour
times and very much flattened.  >ne of these
notes fell on the fioor: the Russian did not ob
serve it; but a “picker up ef stragglers." who was
modestly stakiiiLT five francs by the side of hi-^
opulent neighbor, saw it, and followed it with
his eyes until it fell on the floor. How could he
get possession of it'/ It would be imprudent to
pick it up; he might be observed and denounced
to the owner of the winged bank note. So he
took it into his head to spit upon it. and to ]>ress
his foot hard upon it, so as to fasten the bank
note to the sole of his boot—a not very poetical
operation, but an operation which was well con
ceived and adroitly executed. I niortunately his
movements wero seen and watched by a brother-
in-trade. It was in vain he kept on his feet, and
maintained his right foot on the floor as if it were
-hied to the spot, he was at last obliged, in order
to pick up the two five franc pieces he had on the
table, to Ijend his Ijody forward and raise his foot.
The second “picker up oi stragglers,” adroit and
rapid as a cat who watches a mouse, took rapid
change of position to gather this bank note on his
brother’s si'oe.
This is not the end of the adventure. The first
of the two thieves began to think ot quitting his
stand to place his boot\' (literally boot-y j in se
curity. He took every .sort of precaution. He
moved off, dragging his foot on the flwr after
him, like a wounded partridge which trails the
wing and he kept his hand on his knee, as if he
was suffering a sudden pain. It took him ten
minutes to move ten paces. But, after this short
and painful walk, he reached a neighboring sofa
with the delight of the shipwredced mariner who
at last enters safe harbor. You should have seen
his face, when, pretending to arrange his boot in
a manner easier to his foot, he felt under his sole
for the treasure trovel The effort he made to
suppress a scream of agony must have torn his
brea»t. The adventure did not end here either.
You have seen children play dick, duck and drake
on a pond; the stone slides and bounds several
limes before it finally disappears. The same
thing occurred here. A third rogue saw the
note at its second ricochet; he went up to the se
cond rogue, and .said: “Two hundred francs, or I
denounce you'.” The second rogue quickly said:
—“Agreed, but not another word,” and paid him
the desired money. The third rogue pocketed it,
saying: “Fear nothing, Fll be as silent as the
first fellow.”
and Politics.—One of the persons
who brought to this place the news of the fall ol
Newbern, after reciting all the circumstances as
seen by himself and obtained from other eye wit
nesses, concluded with this remark: “And gentle
men, we are doomed to witness just such disasters
.so long as rcht»kej/ and politics control our army
in teres Ls.”
e verily believe that whiskey and politics
have been the cause of nearly all our disasters.
iialUkMTy Watchman,
GEN. LEE. j
The appointment of Gen. Leo Commander-in-
Chief is one which we liail with great satisfaction.
In the old army he was justly regarded as second
only to Gen. Scott, :’nd we believe that was the
opinion of the Lieutenant-General himself. As an
engineer officer, be hv,s confessedly no "Uperior,
and in every respect, we are inclined to think, is
fhe best selection th-it could have been made,
’['he same objection that was made to Gen. Wash- ^
iiiijion lias iic'cti alh'iTcd against Gen. Lee—toi> ,
much caution: hut it proved an aiivantage in the
first Kevoliitio'i. and m:iv be e(|Ually so in the
second, 'i'he most cautious General in tiie I^ed- |
oral ranks is Huell, and he has bi cn the most sue- 1
cessful. (ien. Leo i.«i a man ot great modesty oi j
charactcr, but extraordinary ent'rgy, couragc, and
sell‘-5>osses"ion In the early organization of our
defences in Virginia, lie scarcely gave sleep to
his eyes; yet so noiselessly and unostentatiously
were hisjutics discharged, that no one knew, ex
cept by their results, what had been acconijilished.
Tlie juiblie never saw (!en. Lee. but they saw the
fact that lines ot di‘fences aro.se round their fron
tiers which, up lo the jircsent moment, have con
fined the .■neniY to Alexaiuiria and Newport
News, have held back hi'; invading m:isses. and
made his st(‘reotyped cry oi “■( )ii to Ivichinoml
the lau;:liini; stock of tlic w(»rlil. Subsci|uently
orderc'd to South ('aroliiui, which was tiu-n me
naced by the enemy, um’ler Slier.'iian and iHij'Ont.
who, by a vigorous movement upon the capture
of Port I’oyal, iiii.’ht easily have eaj turtd ( har-
leston. he has h it that country in -^uch a state oi
detence that Ch:irle"ton i" considered almost im-
yire>;nable. and even Savannah, which had become
as defenc. h'ss as N.ishvilh*. was put in a position
to make a stout atid in all jirolial-Ility a successtui,
resist;ince to the foe. In addition to the fortifi-
i^;itions, a lar>:e army has beecn org.inized and dis-
cij'lined. and stationed a+ sueh point- as are ne
cessary bir the eflieient defence of the State. The
whole military career of thi-; otliccr. the signal
moderation and self b.il'ance of his ch.iracter. and
the yiurity. di"inteve'itedness and dignity of his
1 life, should ens'ire to ien. Lee the entire con-
■' fi'lence of the .\rniy and tlu* peojile of the South,
j That the ejniuiand-in-chiet ot the whole ar-
1 my is now place 1 in the hands of a military lead
er, is of itself a subject of profounil conirratulation.
'I’he federal (Jovernuient, from the beL'inninL'. has
had but one military head, and he of course an
educated "oldier. \\’e rejoice that the South is
about to adopt the saiiu? eomtnon-sen"e course,
tnd to l.jve at tlu- hcrid ot all luT military ope-
j r.itioiis ( IIP nimi, and he a man t.'ained in camp
I and accu'foineil from hi" youth up to the science
and pr ictie.' o|' w.ir.—l!ih il lH-^j^ntrh
— Several of the Yankee prisoners
attempted to ese,t}>o from the priscn in this place
' some days a^'o. i’hrec of them were immediately
I arrested, while only two trot away. 'I'hese. fjy
; s luie mean", were not mis"ed for several days.
Hut on Wedne"ilav last they were brouijlit back.
Haviriir nearly exli.iuted themselves in wander- j
iiitr about throiiL'li the woods and fields to escape
notice, the\ finally called at a Farm h ;use in Ire
dell countv. near ’ool S'priiiir. and surrendered. !
■ The peoj.l.,- of tha: neighborhood had, however, j
found out that ■ U'picious persons were among .
them, and had tdrnu‘d companies to scour the |
eountrv; so that the men probably acted very ;
: wi"cly in ;rivinir theni"elves up as soon as they |
did. 'i'here are still three others out. j
-\nd just lure let U" put the pubiic on iruard
in relation to the yniikee prisoners. There are
now about l.o*'' at this place. 'I’hey are all oc
cupy ini: one ur more buildings, in a fifteen acre
, I >t. enclosed with a board fence lU feet high.
I 'I'he tiu:ird. al"o witldn the enclosure, Miay be
. stron:.' enough to restrain so large a number of
diseontented. restless men; but there have been.
1 and probably will be ag^in. more or less escaping.
It may not be possible to prevent it. We would
I theref’ore sugirct to the people of the surround-
inj countii>^ to be constiintly j^repared to arrest
; any whom they have reason to believe i»; an es-
I caped urisoner. Keep your guns ready, and
: coiiipel every susjiicious traveler to give good ac
count of him"elt or mar-h before you to a magis
trate.— S’l'ishiiri/ W iifr/iniiiI).
S'i i"us I!nili"vJ A’' i'l> uf.—We understand
I that a terrible accident occurred on the Wilming
ton and Weldon Kailroad. last Saturilay uiiirning.
Two trains collided un a piece of trc"sel work,
near a pl.ice known as Joyner's Crossing, and the
' "inasli was terrific, the locomotive" bocoinins so
; interl leked as to render it almost impracticable
I to sejiarate them without destroying much ot their
; most valuable parts.
Tiie train from liohLboro' was one hour and a
, halt behind time, and that from Weldon was run-
I nin*: ten minu.es ahead of time. The former
‘ train w;!- one of unusual length, and the latter
consisted of six or seven coaches.
Fortunately, no lives were l0"‘, but the escape
of the passenirers is viewed as miraculous by those
jtresent. 'I’he engineer of the Jeff. Davis was
l):idly hurt, and several others sustained injuries,
but not of a serious nature, 'fhe Express, bag
gage and mail cars shared in the general smasb,
but the coaches escaped without injurv.
/' tersh nrj Exjtn 5S,
(\thnrl,ii >•.—Capt. A. 'I'. Bost has just
completed the or*:;u»iz;ition of the 7th Company
in the patriotic little Connty of Catawba. He
ha" lUt* men His officers are, .Mexander Routh, I
1st Lieut ; James M. Hoover, ‘id Lieut ; and ^L j
N. Smyer. od Lieutenant. His company will !
pass through this jdace in a few days on their way j
to BaleiLrh.—W atchmitn. j
Annthtr i Compnnij.—C’apt. \*ines’s j
company pas.sed through this town on Monday
last on their way to Kaleigh,— Southerner.
DmtJi of' Rt. Hri\ II'hj Mi nil,\ I). D.—The
State and the country will be grieved to know
that the venerable and beloved Bishop Meade is
no more. He breathed his last at the house of a
friend in this city yesterday morning. Bishop
Meade was the son ot a zealous and not undi-tin-
guished patriot of the Kevolutioii, Richard Kid
der Meade, the friend and confidential aid of
\\ ashington. He was borji in Frederick (now
Clarke) county, Va., Nov. 11th, 17''0; graduated
at Princeton College in and three years
lattir was ordained to the ministiy of the Protes
tant Episcopal (’’hurch by Bishop Madison of
Virginia. In ISi'y he was unanimously elected
a.«sistant Bishop of Virginia; and in 1S41, upon
the death ot Bishop Moore, had the sole charge
of the diocese.—Richmond Whig.
John Hell a Patriotism.—A member of th«
“Hinds Light (iuards,” writing to the Raymond
(iazette from Murfreesboro, thus speaks of the
Hon. John Bell and lady:
I cannot clo-e this letter without alluding to
the noble conduct of Hon. John Bell and his most
excellent lady. Mr. Bell procured medicines
and thy services of physicians at his own ex
pense, while Mrs. Bell attended about two hun
dred sick in the Court House, who had no medi
cine, no nurse, no physician, and nothing to eat;
yet she, like an angel of light, came alone among
the sick, nursed, fed them, and, with her hus
band, secured ior them all the medicine they re
ceived. About forty of the above mentioned sick
belonged to the *J2d Mississippi Regiment. I
speak of the above, for it came under my own
observation for two days during my stay iu }sash-
TiUe.
EVACUATION OF THE LOWER VALLEY.
From Mr. Ilenry D. Beall, we have obtained
the following account of the evacuation of Win
chester, by Gen. Jackson, and it.s occupation by
the enemy;
For .several days previous to Tuesday, the i 1th.
tlie enemy bad Vjeen concentrating largo forces at
Bunker’s Hill, Sniithfield, and Berryville, and
everything indicated an advance nioveiiieni on
the part of Gen. lianks. C)n Sunday' a skirnrwh
came off near Sniithfield, between fifteen of Ash
by’s cavalry and a strong Vjody of the enenu's
troops, in which the latter lost one man killed and
one prisoner. 'Phe gallant “Bhack Horsj*” (’aval,
rv, after inflicting this damage on the eni inv, r.
tired in good order. On .Monday, the Vankt c
nicket.s were thrown nearer the Confederate out
posts, and as a consequence several of them were
allowed the honor of a personal interview with
Gen. Jackson.
On Tuesday, the enemy at Sniithfield and Hun-
ker’s Hill formed a junction about six iniies trom
Winchester, and about two o’clock attacked the
pickets of Ashby’s cavalry, about four niihs Jr.jin
the town. A sharp skirmish ensued, in wliid,
the enemy lost several killed and wounded, (hi
the (’onfederate side there was no loss, oxce|.i oia-
horse killed. Detachments as skirmi;;h(rs \vei>
sent out, but the enemy in strong force c (ntinuiri;/
to push on, the skirmishers w’ere compelled to tali
I back.
Whilst this skirmish was progre.S"In/,
Jackson’s entire command was suniiiioned tV.im
their camp to the expected field of conlliet, ani
never did men respond with more enthusia-m t^
I any summons. Our informant describes the "t. tu
at this juncture as exciting in the higheict d.-urci
'I he gallant and indomitable “Stonewall" Jack-in
, superintended in person the selection (d'po."iti,,i.«
for the different batteries His whole force, in
fantry. cavalry, and artillery, amounting in all t-
about itien, for four hours occujiied tlnii
pixitions on the fiidd; but the enemy, lsid.,i
strong, declined to advance to the attack, and
night closed with the two armies about two milc"
apart. The close of day brought an iniperativt-
1 order from thos- high in authority for the evacua
tion of the place, and with regret the army re
tired in the directiim of Strasburg, bivouackiiiL'^
on Tuesday night about four miles from Winches
ter. On Wednesday morning, about o’clock,
about S.UtiO of the enemy marched into fhe town
and took Undisputed possession. They Uict with
a cool reception.
 >n the afternoon of Wednesday, Gen. .Shi. Id"'
column advanced towards Ne.ftown, but were met
and driven into Winchester by Col. Ashby’s com
mand. Jn the same day, Gen. Jackson marched
to I'edar creek, on the valley turnpike, sixteen
miles from Winchest«r and two from Strasburg,
where he was encamped up to 'I'hursday night.
LarL'c militia reinforcements have been sent
forward to Gen. Jackson from the counties of the
u[>per \ alley, which, with the noble volunteers
under his command, it is hoped, will be suflicient
for the protection of the remainder of that beauti
ful ^’alley from the polluting tread ot Yankee
mercenaries and cut-throats.
Not the least agreeable information imparted to
us by 31 r. Beall, is the effect late movements have
had upon the spirit of the people. Volunteering
is going on with great spirit. The call )f the
Governor has aroused the most lukewarm, and
entire companies of the militia have enrdled
them.selves for the war in the volunteer service
General Garnett’s brigade, almost to a man, have
re-enlisted for the war, whilst Col. Burke’s brii:-
ade have manifested the high spirit of patriotism
which might have been expected from true men
engaged in a cause so holy.
Before evacuating, Gen. Jackson succeeded in
removing all his stores, baggage, dec., so that not
a dollar’s worth of public property fell irtto tht*
hands ot the enemy.—Rich. Dispatch, 17M.
The Knemj/ Adunncing on KnoxviUe.—Rlt'H-
-MOND, March 17 —The following dispatches have
been received by Congress.
“Knoxvillk, March 15.—Y esterJay the en
emy, two thousand stn.»ng, crossed Cumberland
mountain, at Wheeler’s Gap. and captured two
cavalry companies. They are supposed to be the
advance guard.’’
“Knoxvilll, March 15.—Couriers last nisjht
report the enemy to be only twenty-five miles dis
tant. They are estimated to be from four to six
thousand strong. They are advancing on Knux-
ville.’
Ifispat‘ h> s from. Richmonx*, March
Is.—Dispatches were received yesterday at the
War Department from General Kirby Smith, at
Knoxville, Tennessee. The dispatches are mea
gre. They confirm the advance of the encniy in
the direction of Knoxville. Two thousand ot the
enemy had got through Wheeler’s Gap. and tien-
eral Ledbetter had lef^ Knoxville with two thou
sand men to encounter their advance. General
Smith was about to repair to (’umberland Gap.
Rich. I^xamin> r.
Further adfices from, Arkansas—MEMrHls,
March 12.—A despatch from F'ort Smith sav'^
Capt. Rodgers arrived in charge of the ammuni
tion train, and the official account of the battle of
Elkhorn. The fighting was terrible. The (’on-
federates were mostly armed with rifles and "hot
guns. They charged the enemy atrain and airain.
clubbing their guns and driving them back frotn
their first position.
The enemy had taken a second and stronger
position.
When it became known to his troops that Iren
McCulloch had fallen, they were frantic with
ratre—fighting like demons—charging and put
ting to flight five times their numbeV.
Fearful that McCuIloch’s troops would be di.'-
organized, A'an Dorn deemed it advisable to with
draw. He renewed the attack next day, and re
tired in splendid order, under cover of his artillery.
'Ihe attack was considered a brilliant manoeuvre.
McIntosh at the head of his command, fell ear
ly; also Herbert.
Prisoners report the Federal loss at six thou'.ind
The Confederates attacked the enemy on all
sides, passing around them.
^ an Dorn says he is not whipped and cannot
be, with reinforcements.
We will soon have the Confederate train on
Boston Mountain, out of reach of the enemy
This news is reliable.
Un founded Rumor frLin Arkansas.—report
was generally circulated yesterday that the Con
federate army in Arkansas had gained a great
victory. Nq good foundation could be found tor
it. It may be that such a victory has been gained,
but no authentic dispatch has been received here
of it.—Richmond^Examiner, \~th.
Aeu" Madrid, J/o., evacuated hy our forces.
AudUSTA, March 17.—A special dispatch to the
Savannah Republican, from Memphis, Tenn., dated
March 15th, says that New Madrid was evacu:*ted
by the Confederate forces on Thursday night : "f
All our small arms and ammunition were sa\i.i'.
but the artillery was abandoned.
Capture of a Party of Yankees.—CHARLES
TON, March 17.—Lieut-Col. Bennett, of the 51>t
Pennsylvania regiment, Lieut. Riley, of the 4.th
New York, and S. H. Wells, Federal Governmei'.t
agent and cotton broker, were captured by cur
pickets on Edisto ialand on Sunday, and brought
here to-day as prisoners of war. They were riding
in a wbe^ captured.
I.